A couple weeks ago I shared about pothos plants and how to care for and grow them and how to propagate them. Today I’m sharing all about spider plant care (Chlorophytum comosum), which are just about as easy as pothos plants.

Spider Plant Care

Some links below may be affiliate links which means I make a small commission with no additional cost to you when you shop using my links. Thanks for supporting Paisley + Sparrow and allowing me to create content like this post!

How Much Light Does a Spider Plant Need?

Spider plants do best with a good amount of indirect light. I’ve tried them just about everywhere in my house from a corner in Roy’s room that doesn’t get much light, to a windowsill that gets a lot of full sun.

Like most plants (and people), each one is different and has different needs. Try a few different spots to figure out what your specific plant likes the best but start them out in a pot that get bright, indirect light.

I currently have one in a hallway that doesn’t get much light, one on a ledge that gets almost a full day of indirect light and one in our entryway that gets about a half a day of indirect light. The one on the ledge that gets the most amount of light produces the most babies – however it’s also the plant that I’ve had the longest and is the most mature (which is needed to produce babies).

I often times move my plants around depending on the season and how each plant is thriving. I just recommend leaving your plant where there are for at least a few weeks so you can tell if they’re happy or not!

How Much Water Does My Spider Plant Need?

When it comes to watering, aim for one day a week (like the pothos). I find that my plants need extra watering during the summer months and less frequent watering in the winter.

Be careful to not water them too much or they’ll become soggy which can lead to root rot. Put your finger into the soil before water to see if it’s still wet (which means don’t water it more!) or if it’s dried out and ready for more water.

Spider Plant Babies

Your spider plant will start producing babies when they’re more mature and when the roots become more rootbound. You don’t want to repot a spider plant if it’s not growing babies yet because the roots are likely not rootbound enough.

Let’s talk propagating!

There are a variety of different ways to propagate your spider plants. You can keep the babies attached to the mother plant and simply place the baby in a pot of soil or water to encourage it to root.

I don’t always have space to do that so I typically cut the babies from the mother and grow roots in a jar of water. Here’s a full video with exact steps on how to propagate them that way, or scroll below to see it written out!

Similar to pothos plants, all you’ll need for this is a spider plant with babies, a pair of scissors and a small jar with water.

Spider plants produce babies when they start flowering. Long, hard stalks will shoot out from the base of the plant and they’ll eventually produce flowers. These flowers will produce babies!

The easiest way to propagate spider plants is to simply cut the babies from the stalk and put them in water.

I like to use a short, small jar (similar to a pesto jar or baby food jar) since the babies of spider plants are smaller than those of pothos.

Once roots start growing, you’re ready to plant! Put the babies along with soil in a small pot, give it some water and you’re good to go!

Why Are My Spider Plant Leaves Browning?

You can simply trim these off as they show up. One way to prevent them is by using distilled water. I don’t usually do that so I’m just trimming brown spots as I see them.

Spider plants are some of the easiest houseplants to have in your home, especially for beginners! Don’t own a spider plant yet? Hit up your local greenhouse or grab one online (even Amazon has them!).

I hope this spider plant care post was helpful and inspires you to pick up one of the plants for your own home! I’d love it if you pinned this for later and to help others know how to care for spider plants!

Comments

I bought a spider plant today at Walmart?1/2 price ?the momma is awesome, babies are on yellow stems babies small but green need advice ? I read all the comments above, but the yellow stems bothered me, any advise would help

[…] Spider plants are right on par with pothos plants. Both are super easy to care for and make a big impact in a room. They adapt well to all light and will do just fine in low light areas. Ideally they like indirect light so if they look a little sad, you can always pop them in a better lit situation for a little bit to perk them up a bit! […]

[…] another edition of PS Plant Lady! So far we’ve talked about how to care for pothos plants, spider plants and snake plants and today we’re talking all about one of my new favorites, Monstera Plant […]